Baptisia tinctoria
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Photo courtesy Renee Brecht |
Britton & Brown |
| Botanical name: | Baptisia tinctoria (L.) R. Br. |
| Common name: | wild indigo |
| Synonomy: | Baptisia gibbesii Small Baptisia tinctoria (L.) R. Br. var. crebra Fernald Baptisia tinctoria (L.) R. Br. var. projecta Fernald |
| Group: | dicot |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Growth type: | forb/herb |
| Duration: | perennial |
| Origin: | native |
| Plant height: | 1 - 3' |
| Foliage: | leaflets 3, entire; plants blueish when young. |
| Flower: | yellow, 1/2" long |
| Flowering time: | late June to late July; fruits early August to September |
| Habitat: | dry woods and fields |
| Range in New Jersey: | statewide |
| Heritage ranking, if any: | n/a |
| Distribution: |  |
| Misc. | yields blue dye; used as a homeopathic remedy The rare butterfly, frosted elfin, depends entirely on plant communities containing Baptisia tinctoria and Lupinus perennis. |